8 November 2004

Launch of direct action will stop the bypass

A direct action campaign to stop the proposed Wellington inner-city bypass has been launched today against Fulton Hogan and Transit NZ.

Local residents visited Fulton Hogan’s depot at Petone to issue a warning to the contractors there. ‘The $39 million contract won’t be worth it. We will oppose this road at every corner, at every house, at every manhole. The $2 million security budgeted for this project won’t even come close to the amount of damage a few keen people and a wrench can do.’ Said spokesman Tony McPhail.

Residents signed a card and presented a photograph of people who have lost their homes to the bypass. ‘We hope that every time they set out to bulldoze a building, Fulton Hogan workers will think about the community they are helping to destroy.’

‘It is hardly surprising that Fulton Hogan is so keen on building this road. Their major shareholder is Shell. Oil prices are at record levels right now. Transit’s only solution to traffic congestion is more roads, but evidence proves that more roads simply bring more cars. In the end, this isn’t a solution at all – it just adds to the problem. We need a new way of dealing with the issue of transport.’

ENDS

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